Seventeen million households in America did not have enough food last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That translates to 50 million Americans, including 17 million children, who faced the possibility of going hungry.

Food pantries, like the Bailey House Food Pantry in New York, are helping fill empty stomachs. The staff serves 550 meals a month and so far has cooked more than 15,000 this year.

They report that it's no longer just the homeless who are coming for food, but middle-class people as well.

"People are having to do a lot more with less - they're having to look at what's being put on their plates," Denise Arzola, deputy director at the Bailey House Food Pantry, said. "They're having to make decisions between actually feeding their family or paying their rent."

Faith-based groups run a large number of food pantries throughout the country.

Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, told CBN News that Christians can play a key role in stopping this problem.

"I think Christians across the nation have done and do do a great job at helping people in need in their own community, reaching out to people in need in their own congregations," Rev. Beckman said.

"The most powerful thing we can do is to contact our own members of Congress," he continued. "Make sure that they compliment all the things that Christians are doing with food banks and charities."

"Christians need to weigh in on those issues, because I think God's calling us to do that, not only to help people one by one, but also to change laws and structures," he added.